"Dimitri?"

"Yes Roza." He answered getting up from the corner where he was reading in usual western.

"Nothing. I was checking to see if you really meant what you said last night."

Trying to walk past him to set my gym bag on the bleachers I was stopped by his massive hands grabbing me and pulling me to him.

"And how do you know my answer? All I said was 'yes Rose.'"

"No. You said 'yes Roza.' There is a difference."

He had his guardian mask on but I could tell he knew exactly what I meant. He only ever used Roza when he was feeling particularly fond of me. Usually it came out as a slip up in his seemingly unwavering control, but today he said it on purpose and showed no sign of regretting it.

We stood there for quite some time. Just looking at each other. Truly appreciating each other's presence. With each second we were growing closer in all aspects of the word.

For the first time Dimitri had stopped putting up his guardian mask and seemed to be leaning down for a kiss. I had just started pressing up on my tippy toes where the outside gym door slammed.

Dimitri and I sprang apart. He went to the center mat and I continued on towards the bleachers to put my bag away and pull back my hair.

"Belikov!" Alberta shouted rushing over towards him.

"Guardian Petrov what it is?" He asked meeting her halfway.

"St. Basils has been attacked. They are shipping all their students and staff to other academies. There is not much left of their campus. We need all hands on deck to prepare for them. St. Vladimirs is getting the largest group."

Shock seeped into every part of me. An academy was attacked. No one had ever heard of such a thing.

"I'm sorry Rose but I am going to have to cancel your training sessions with Guardian Belikov for a few days." Alberta said and then turned to leave.

"Wait!" I jumped up and rushed over. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Rose the guardians will take care of things. You just need to train." Dimitri told me.

"No." Alberta stepped in. "There is something she could help with. Rose if you could talk to a few other novices and even some of the moroi that would be great. Get them to volunteer to help prepare some rooms for the incoming students. And even get them to agree to help show them around when they get here."

"Absolutely."

With that we all went our separate ways.

Things were about to get interesting here at Vampire Academy.